


This Year Next Year

by Luka



Series: Iceman [3]
Category: Primeval
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-05-11
Updated: 2008-05-11
Packaged: 2017-10-11 21:08:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/117147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luka/pseuds/Luka
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>  Ryan catches up again with the runaway Stephen</p>
            </blockquote>





	This Year Next Year

  
  
  
  
  


**Entry tags:**

| 

  
[ditzy](http://lukadreaming.livejournal.com/tag/ditzy), [fiction](http://lukadreaming.livejournal.com/tag/fiction), [iceman](http://lukadreaming.livejournal.com/tag/iceman), [lyle](http://lukadreaming.livejournal.com/tag/lyle), [ryan](http://lukadreaming.livejournal.com/tag/ryan), [series](http://lukadreaming.livejournal.com/tag/series), [slash](http://lukadreaming.livejournal.com/tag/slash), [stephen](http://lukadreaming.livejournal.com/tag/stephen)  
  
  
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Title: This Year Next Year  
Author: Luka  
Characters: Stephen Hart, Tom Ryan, Jon Lyle, Ditzy, Finn, Sadie  
Rating: 18  
Disclaimer: Not mine (except for Sadie!), I'm just playing and won't make a penny out of them. I'll put them back when I'm finished, honest!  
Spoilers: Nope  
Pairing: Stephen/Ryan  
Summary:  Ryan catches up again with the runaway Stephen  
A/N: Sequel to [A Fire is Burning](http://lukadreaming.livejournal.com/2008.html#cutid1) and [We Could Leave Right Now](http://lukadreaming.livejournal.com/4534.html#cutid1). Lyle, Finn and Ditzy appear courtesy of [](http://fredbassett.livejournal.com/profile)[**fredbassett**](http://fredbassett.livejournal.com/) – and the lovely Fred also did the beta!

  


Ryan didn't know why he was so surprised to wake up and find Stephen gone.  He'd naively thought they were making progress, and that Saturday had been a perfect day. But he should never have let himself expect anything different – he'd been alone virtually all his adult life, so there was no reason for it to change now.

He got up and went for a run, trying to ignore the sadness nagging within him. He wasn't an emotional man, but something about Stephen had made him want to connect with the younger man.

When he got back home, having driven himself too hard, his neighbour Sadie was in the front garden pruning her roses. She was a retired nurse who kept an eye on the house when he was away and periodically gave him a hard time about his lack of a love life. He wasn't sure how she'd react if she knew about Stephen.

"Hello Tom." Actually, he'd lied to Stephen. Sadie was the only other person aside from his grandmother who called him by his first name. She'd flatly refused to call him Ryan, saying briskly that she wasn't on the parade ground.

"Morning Sadie."

"Your visitor left early this morning."

"Yeah." He lifted the almost full sack of garden waste and tied off the top of it, dumping it by Sadie's front gate for the recycling lorry to collect the next morning.

"Thank you, dear. Go and have your shower and then come round for breakfast. I've just made soda bread, and Millie gave me blackberry and apple jam to have with it."

He knew it was pointless to refuse. And she did make the best soda bread in the universe.

When Ryan went back round half an hour later, dressed in teeshirt and tracksuit bottoms, and with his hair damp from the shower, Sadie put two large slices of bread in front of him and pushed the butter and jam over. She then poured him a mug of her trademark tea – so strong you could cut it.

"You been abroad, dear?"

"Nope. Over here." She'd lived in Hereford long enough to know he couldn't and wouldn't tell her any more. She nodded, and chatted happily about what he'd missed while he was away. Sadie had an informer system better than the KGB's and nothing got past her. Ryan ate a third slice of the delicious bread, and grunted occasionally to show he was listening.

"So tell me about your young man. He's very handsome …" Ryan looked at her in disbelief and she laughed. "Don't look so surprised, Tom."

"How did you guess?"

"I just suspected. I thought you and that lovely lad Jon Lyle would see sense and get together."

"Jon's straight."

She smiled and topped up his mug of tea. "I wouldn't be so sure of that, dear. Now tell me about the new man. What's his name?"

"Stephen. But I think it might be all over before it's even started."

"How come? And have that last bit of bread. It won't be as nice tomorrow."

He acquiesced, smothering it in jam and butter and vowing to burn it off later with extra press-ups. "I don't know. He seems scared of commitment. But I've tried not to push him and yesterday he seemed really happy when we were out in the Brecons."

"What are you going to do?"

"Nothing. It's his choice. Now, shall I change the light bulb in the hall for you? And I'll sort out that dripping tap while I'm at it."

***  


Jon Lyle was sitting on the garden wall when he went back round home. He grinned at Ryan. "Let me guess, Sadie thought you were fading away, and made you eat the best part of one of her loaves of soda bread …"

"Yep."

"Where's the Iceman?"

"Gone," said Ryan briefly. He knew Lyle had picked up on the sub-text and waited for someone else to weigh in and advise him on his love life.

"In that case you'll be free for lunch, then. Me and Ditzy fancy the Crown."

Ryan nodded. There was no point sitting at home moping. And the Crown, a hidden gem of a pub out in the sticks, did the most fantastic Sunday lunches with Yorkshire puddings to die for. And they could sit in its lush garden all afternoon and no one would bother them.

Lyle waited 'til they were sitting in the garden, pints of real ale in front of them, before commencing the interrogation. "So why's he gone? And before you say anything, Ditzy knows as well."

"Jesus, is it tattooed on my forehead?" asked Ryan testily.

"Boss, no one gives a flying fuck what you do in bed," said Ditzy.

Ryan sighed and stared into space for several minutes. Lyle jabbed him in the ribs. "Well?"

"Don't ask me. It seemed to be going OK. We had a great day out yesterday mountain biking in the Brecons. But when I woke up this morning, he'd gone. It was weird. I thought he was relaxing a bit. He's pretty reserved, but it's like he's scared of getting close to anyone." He shut up abruptly. He'd said enough. What the fuck was he doing discussing his sex life with two of his men?

"Is he out at work?" asked Ditzy.

"I don't think so. Cutter doesn't appear to know. But he says he goes to gay pubs and clubs sometimes. Mind you …" He hesitated.

"Well?"

"He fancies Cutter like fuck."

"He must be mad." Lyle rolled his eyes and they all laughed.

"Probably."

"Cutter's straight."

"Yeah. He's about to cop off with Claudia."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Nothing. It's up to him now."

***  


Ryan spent a quiet week pottering round home doing some DIY jobs that had built up. He went out running with Lyle every day, and they played squash a few times. Ditzy organised a barbecue in his back garden and invited everyone, and they had a fun evening eating, drinking and relaxing. Jacko, the youngest member of the team, announced his engagement and they all went out to celebrate. It culminated in Ryan having to do some fancy footwork with both the civilian and military police when the lad was found naked tied to a lamp-post in the town centre, his body adorned with some risqué lipstick slogans.

First day back, though, and they were in the middle of a downpour in the Forest of sodding Dean trying to round up what looked like psychotic naked ostriches. Next thing, Ryan was flat on his back, bleeding heavily from a gash to his thigh and concussed after one of the creatures sent him crashing into a tree.

"Stay down, sir." Ditzy was kneeling beside him, trying to stop the bleeding.

"I'm fine."

"You're not. Stay still. Finn's down as well."

"Is he OK?" Ryan tried to sit up, and Ditzy eased him back down.

"He'll live. But you both need looking over in hospital."

"The anomaly …?"

"Closed. We got the fuckers back through."

"What the fuck are they?"

"Oviraptors, according to Geek Boy."

"Ditzy, you've got to come now." Lyle sounded uncharacteristically agitated, and Ryan could see Finn flat out on the ground.

"Give me that." Stephen was there, taking the dressing from Ditzy and pressing it to Ryan's thigh.

"OK. Hold it tight and I'll do it properly in a sec."

Ryan was starting to feel sick and float in and out of consciousness. But he was aware enough to know that Stephen was holding his hand.

"Hey …" Ryan's mouth was dry.

"Hey to you too. Hang in there, you're going to be fine."

A shout went up as an ambulance bounced across the rough terrain. Ryan watched them loading Finn in first and setting up drips. His questions were brushed aside, though, as he was next in. Stephen was beside him. And the last thing Ryan remembered were long fingers entwined with his and frightened blue eyes staring down at him.

***  


Ryan opened his eyes and muttered a curse. The light was blinding and his head felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to it.

"Welcome back, sleeping beauty." Stephen's hair was standing on end and he needed a shave. But Ryan couldn't take his eyes off him.

"How long have I been …?"

"Twelve hours. They've done a brain scan and apparently you've got one."

It took Ryan a moment to realise that Stephen had cracked a joke. "How long have you been here? All the time?'

"Yep."

"How's Finn?"

"OK. It was touch and go for a bit, as that fucker got him on an artery. But he's awake and swearing a lot, according to Ditzy."

"Sounds like Finn. When can I go home?"

"Hang on, you've only just woken up. Let me get a nurse …"

It took a lot of arguing from Ryan and interminable hanging around for a doctor to deign to check him over before they allowed him to go home early evening – and that was solely on the condition that he had someone with him. So Stephen drove him home.

The journey was conducted in silence, and once they reached Ryan's house, he said: "Thanks for the lift. Tell Sadie what's happened and then you can push off. She's a retired nurse and can keep an eye on me."

"I'm staying."

"You going to be there when I wake up in the morning this time?" It was below the belt, but Ryan didn't care.

"Yes." Stephen was watching him unblinkingly.

Ryan shrugged and unlocked the front door. He felt terrible and the sight of the stairs made his heart sink. Ryan wanted to crash on the sofa and sleep for a month, but he gritted his teeth and struggled upstairs, his leg absolute agony. At one point it felt like the stitches were tearing. But he made it and flopped onto the bed, unable to even contemplate getting undressed.

"Take these and then we can get you into bed." Stephen appeared, a glass of water and a couple of painkillers in his hand. Ryan usually hated taking medication, but this time he didn't care – he hurt everywhere. So he swallowed the tablets. And he allowed Stephen to gently pull off his trousers and teeshirt.

"Bloody macho idiot," muttered Stephen, arranging the duvet over him.

"Takes one to know one."

"At least I know when I need to be in hospital."

"Bollocks! The only reason you stayed in hospital more than one day was because you were unconscious …"

Stephen rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Shut up and get some sleep, soldier boy . . ."

***  


The light streaming through the gap in the curtains made Ryan screw his eyes up. Beside him, but on top of the duvet, Stephen was asleep, clad only in a teeshirt that Ryan recognised as one of his. Ryan looked down to where his left hand was imprisoned in both of Stephen's. He shifted position slightly, wincing at the pain shooting through his leg.

Stephen sat up immediately, rubbing his fingers through his hair. He looked young and very cute. Ryan was hard in an instant, but adjusted the duvet over his waist and legs to cover it.

"Why didn't you get under the duvet? You must have been freezing all night."

"I was fine …"

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Is this where we exchange macho stories about the most uncomfortable places we've slept in?"

"No, because you'd win hands down with the South Pole, or wherever . . ."

Ryan sat up gingerly, biting his lip as his leg throbbed and ached. He swung his legs out of bed and would have toppled over if Stephen hadn't leant over and clung on to the back of his shorts.

"Hang on a minute …" Stephen propped him up and helped him into the bathroom where Ryan had a piss, a stand-up wash and cleaned his teeth. He felt halfway human again, but didn't argue when Stephen guided him back to bed. He managed a mug of tea and a slice of toast, then went back to sleep.

Next time he woke it was mid-afternoon, and Stephen was curled up in the old armchair in the corner of the bedroom reading an Alistair MacLean novel. He looked up and grinned. "Are the only books you've got willy-waving thrillers where all these he-men save the universe in 45 minutes?"

"Sorry, but my chick lit collection's out with the lads at the moment. And I must have misfiled my section on palaeontology."

"Everyone's a bloody comedian!"

"I'll be at the Playhouse every night this week …"

"How you feeling?"

"Like I've been stampeded by an oviraptor."

"Ha bloody ha. You want something to eat?"

Ryan nodded, realising he was hungry. When Stephen reappeared with a doorstep cheese sandwich, a slice of fruitcake and an apple, he demolished the food in minutes.

"Blimey, that didn't touch the sides!"

"Do I detect that Sadie's been round with a cake?"

"Yep. And she brought some soda bread and a pot of jam."

"And did she give you the third degree?"

"Just a bit. She was obviously checking that my intentions towards you are honourable. And she thinks the sun shines out of your arse."

"Glad someone does …"

There was a silence that wasn't exactly uncomfortable, but needed filling. Ryan was an expert, though, at waiting people out. So Stephen said awkwardly: "I'm sorry about the other weekend."

Ryan shrugged, taking a mouthful of cold tea.

"I had a great time, but …"

"You wimped out."

"Yes," said Stephen candidly.

"Why?"

"Because I'm scared."

"What of?"

"That I'll get close to someone and then get hurt again, and I don't think I could bear it." Stephen's voice was steady, but Ryan could see the pain in his eyes.

"Tell me," said Ryan gently.

"I got involved with the wrong person about seven or eight years ago, and they broke my heart. After that I swore I was never going to get close to anyone again because I couldn't stand all that pain a second time."

"Stephen, I'm no expert when it comes to love, but you have to trust your heart. Whoever broke your heart lost a special person when they did it."

"It was Helen Cutter." Stephen's voice was barely above a whisper.

"You slept with Helen Cutter?" Ryan couldn't keep the disbelief out of his voice. "Have you got some weird fetish about miserable Jocks and their ball-breaking wives?"

"Yeah, I know, I need my head looking at …"

"That's the understatement of the millennium. Why, for fuck's sake? She's enough to turn any bloke queer!"

"I was 21, she was my tutor and I idolised her. And it was a convenient way of pretending I wasn't gay. And she treated me like I was special, making a fuss of me and acting like I was super-duper intelligent with something to say …"

"Isn't there some rule about tutors not shagging their students?"

Stephen shrugged. "It happens. Everyone turns a blind eye unless it gets messy. And anyway, then she got bored and dumped me for the guy who finished top of the year."

"Does Cutter know?"

"Fuck, no. He's got no illusions about her, but he assumes she was only unfaithful to him when it came to chasing anomalies."

"So you're going to let that bitch screw your life up and stop you loving anyone else?"

"No, of course not …"

"That's what it comes across like. Stephen, I want to be with you, and we can take it slowly, but you doing a vanishing act doesn't help."

"I know, and I'm sorry … But I don't want you to feel like you're second best."

"To Helen Cutter? Cheers, mate, you know how to do wonders for a bloke's ego!"

"No, I mean that I've got to sort my feelings out about Nick. I know he's straight and he's not interested and I really like being with you, but it's not fair on you …"

"Isn't that for me to decide?"

Stephen shrugged. "I suppose so."

"Good. We don't have to turn this into some mad, torrid affair. Let's take it steady and see how we go."

"If you're sure …"

"I am," said Ryan firmly. And he smiled as Stephen sat on the bed beside him and kissed him. "That's nice, but I don't think I'm up to any acrobatics today."

"Just stay where you are …" Stephen pushed back the covers and captured Ryan's cock in his mouth. Ryan shuddered at the sight of his prick stretching Stephen's gorgeous lips. He threaded his fingers through Stephen's hair, closed his eyes and hung on for the ride, crying out as he came.

"Thank you …"

Stephen smiled and licked his lips experimentally.

Ryan stroked his cheek. "Did you come?"

Stephen shook his head and unzipped his jeans, pushing them down his lean thighs and stepping out of them.

"Touch yourself, Stephen. Come for me …"

And Ryan watched, rapt, as the long fingers teased and stroked. And he longed to kiss Stephen's gorgeous neck and throat as the scientist threw his head back and moaned as he came.

They drowsed on the bed, only woken by Stephen's mobile buzzing insistently. Ryan knew immediately that it was Cutter. "No, I'm at Ryan's. They'd only let him out if someone stayed with him, so I'm staying until he gets the all-clear. The anomaly's closed, so I don't see the problem. If you don't like it, I'll take it out of my holiday allowance … Twat!" Stephen slammed the phone down and rubbed his fingers through his hair in a gesture that Ryan loved.

"What's his problem?"

"He's just being a wanker because I headed off without telling him. He'll calm down and ring back to apologise obliquely in about half an hour."

They both burst out laughing when the phone rang 31 minutes later. "Hi Nick. OK, fair enough. If anything happens I'll be there. Otherwise I'll see you Monday. Yeah, he's fine, but he got a knock on the head and that oviraptor took a huge chunk out of his thigh. OK, see you."

Stephen grinned cheekily. "He sends you his regards and said that of course I'm owed stacks of lieu time and to take the rest of the week off. Typical bloody Cutter, going up like a sky rocket, then calming down when he stops to think about it."

"So you're staying?"

"You bet I am. I still owe you a meal out."

"That's true. And I bet you a tenner that Sadie invites us round for dinner so she can continue the interrogation. She won't let me give my virginal body to just anyone, you know …" Stephen laughed. Ryan grinned back and said: "Every time I see my grandmother, she asks me if I'm courting."

"Next time you see her, you can tell her that you are!"  



End file.
